Local News

A jury awarded $3 million last week to the family of a man who was killed after he ran into the back of a S.C. Department of Transportation dump truck in 2004.

John L. “Johnny” Thompson, 59, of 926 Hope Place, died of head injuries after running into the back of the dump truck. SCDOT workers had stopped the truck in the middle of a lane of S.C. 903 to pick up a deer carcass on the side of the highway.

Jody Miles laughs as she tells the story of being attacked by a Tasmanian devil, which landed her in the hospital with an infection, where she thought she was going to lose her sight and was then put on medication, which doctors said could cause hearing loss.

Oh, yes, and while she was in the hospital, she missed out on the liver transplant that she’s been waiting for.

County officials have approved funding for a new economic development position.

County Council unanimously approved funding at last week’s meeting for a grant writer position at the Lancaster County Economic Development Corp. The new position will cost $60,000.

With the county’s 2010-11 budget already finalized, council had to determine where to cut that funding from somewhere else in the budget. And since this is not a one-time expense, council must plan this as a recurring item in future budgets.

County Council wants more time to look at how a proposed change in the buffer space between homes and businesses could impact the county.

Council unanimously tabled an ordinance last week that would have set new buffer requirements between residential and non-residential developments.

Under the proposed ordinance, buffers would be based on the size and proposed use of the lot to be developed, as well as on development on adjacent parcels. The county Planning Commission had already unanimously approved of the change, though council has final say on the change.

John Rollins vividly recalls what he saw from a school bus window in 1958.

Rollins, 10 at the time, was on his way home from school. When the bus stopped to allow members of the Gay family to exit, they found something tragic at their home. The Heath Gay home, on present-day Shiloh-Unity Road, was ablaze.

“The fire was so hot, you could feel the heat on the bus,” Rollins said. “We really weren’t there long, but that’s what I remember.”

More than 20 area fathers have been recognized for the strides they’ve made to take a more active role in the life of their children.

The Lancaster Fatherhood Project, an agency that provides an array of services to low-income, non-custodial fathers, held its annual recognition ceremony Aug. 26 at the Carole Ray Dowling Center at the University of South Carolina at Lancaster.

Television footage of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico inspired Fran Gardner’s latest artwork.

Gardner’s work was on exhibit at the Florida Museum for Women Artists last month. Gardner, who works in fiber arts, created pieces using thread and fabric. The pieces featured the many shore birds affected by the spill and seen on TV covered in oil.